Painting by Number (of times we've ended up together)
by crownedcrusader
Summary: The painting has history. Whether it's Zelda and Link who look at the painting, or the Zelda and Link that were its subjects, the painting is part of a larger story-a moment, captured in time for future generations. (Or, A Link Between Worlds Link and Zelda look at the painting of A Link to the Past Link and Zelda mentioned in A Link Between Worlds.)


"They look so serene," Zelda sighed, admiring the painting as she so often did. Normally she'd look on in silence, but this time Link was next to her. Insomnia, as it turned out, was contagious, and the two were merely feeding off of each other's as they snuck through the castle in the dead of night.

"Old paintings always look calm, though," Link said, keeping his voice at a whisper. He didn't want to get caught with the princess after hours, after all—he could get in some serious trouble… especially now that the guards knew they were together. "This one almost looks sad. Don't you think?"

Zelda shook her head, eyes wide with horror. "Oh, no, Link, don't say that! They must have been very happy together to get a painting done of them like this!"

Link rubbed his arm, a little sheepish at riling the princess so. "I guess… I don't know. Looks kinda strange to me. This must have taken place after his quest, you know? So… I don't understand why they'd look so calm. If it were us, and I'd just gotten back from my quest again… then I'd be too excited to sit still."

A smile came back onto Zelda's face and she shook her head, amused. "You're still too excited to sit still."

"But there's so much of our kingdom to explore! And I'm still trying to find a way back to Lorule, you know? How could I possibly be calm enough to sit down for too long, or not take my lunch with me on the road, or listen to boring speeches, or—"

"Or sleep," Zelda cut in. "You should really go to bed at a normal time, Link…"

His excited smile faded to a sheepish one once more, and he removed his cap to scratch the back of his head, bashful for being called out. "I can't help it. Besides, you snuck out to look at this painting, too, so you're just as guilty as I am."

Zelda's cheeks bloomed a rosy pink, and she looked pointedly back at the painting. "Well," she said, attempting to change the subject, "I still think they must have been very happy together. Whether they look calm or sad, for them to get such a picture together… It was unheard of before, to get a picture painted of a couple embracing. Especially the princess…"

Link turned to look at her, laughing under his breath. "You must've really thought about this, huh?"

"They just really loved each other, that's all." That blush was back, and she crossed her arms and turned away from him, unwilling to let him realize how embarrassed she was. "I think it's sweet."

"Yeah, well," Link stepped closer to her, then put a hand on her shoulder, a sunny smile on his face. "If you ever want to get a painting done of us, you could. I wouldn't mind. Maybe then your granddaughter might stare at it when she should be sleeping, too."

Finally, Zelda brought her own hand up to rest atop Link's. "…I don't think you'd be able to hold still long enough for a painting."

He just laughed, knowing that she was right. "Alright, fine. But you'd be too excited to sit still, too, if you got to visit another land!"

Zelda smiled and finally turned, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Well… The hero in that picture went to another land, too, and he kept still long enough to get painted."

"What?" Link's eyes widened. "You never told me that!"

"There were lands called Holodrum and Labrynna—"

"What? No, I've heard of the hero that did that, he couldn't have been the same guy that—"

"He went on four different adventures… Or they say it's four, I'm sure that the last one wasn't actually real… We have no records of the land he supposedly saved, and I think I read in one of my grandmother's diaries that it might have just been his dream, but she didn't want to argue with him, so she let him believe he really—"

Link suddenly spun her fully towards him and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Wait—you have some of her diaries?!"

Zelda laughed and tugged him towards her chambers. "If you're that curious, you can read them for yourself. I think you need a history lesson anyways, if you don't know which hero did what…"

As their footsteps vanished into the darkness up into the princess's library, the painting they'd been admiring remained. The admirers seemed to be more interested now in the history of the painting's subjects—no longer just the painting itself.

Yet for all their excitement over the subjects, the painting itself certainly had a history to it…

–

"Oh, Zelda, you should've seen me," Link gushed, eyes bright with the memory of his most recent adventure. "Turtle Rock was incredible, and I gathered all these medallions and, and—"

Zelda put one finger to his lips, a small, amused smile on her own. "You can tell me everything later, darling. Don't you want the painting to come out right?"

"What good is celebrating my homecoming with a picture if I can't even tell you what I did while I was gone?" He gently removed her finger from his lips, but placed a gentle kiss on the back of her gloved hand before releasing it. "I want to tell you about Marin, and Tarin, and the Windfish, and…"

"Are you two quite finished?" the painter asked, voice as frustrated as it had been the last several times he'd spoken up. "I can paint you another time if you're too busy talking. The least you could do is sit still, really!"

"Sorry, sir," Zelda said politely, returning her arms to where they were supposed to be—around Link's shoulders.

And yet, as much as Link loved the closeness, he found that he couldn't sit still for too long. "Oh, come on, Zelda! I've barely even gotten to kiss you since I've gotten back!"

"Link…" She laughed, then guided his arms back around her waist where the painter had directed them before. "Come on, be respectful. He wanted to commemorate this as soon as possible. And you can't blame him, really."

"I can and I will."

For all of Link's pouting, he looked quite handsome. And it was for that—most certainly not the puppy dog eyes he was giving her—that she leaned up for a kiss. "Will you behave now?"

Link smiled softly, seeming for a moment to be willing to follow orders. But, before Zelda had time to protest, he was picking her up by her hips and pulling her onto his lap, kissing her with all the gusto he'd saved worlds with. "I am behaving. This is how you're supposed to behave with the one you love."

Despite her earlier protests, Zelda laughed against his mouth, too overjoyed to have him close to complain. She returned the kiss with equal passion, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to pull her as close as he liked. "I've missed you," she said between kisses. "So much."

"Then get painted another day!" The painter, who'd apparently gotten fed up with their disregard for his work, threw his easel to the ground. "I quit. Have someone else paint you, or get scheduled a day where you won't keep moving around!"

Once the great hall's door slammed shut, Link just looked back at Zelda, a mischievous look in his eye. "So. I guess that means we're alone. Can I tell you about my adventures now?"

Zelda just laughed and kiss him tenderly, throwing off her gloves so she could feel the skin—living, breathing flesh—under her fingertips. "As much as you can remember. We found you on a piece of driftwood, darling. I hope you realize how frightening that was for me…"

"For you," he replied, taking hold of her hand and tenderly kissing her knuckles—"I'll always come home."

It took another few weeks for that painting to get done.


End file.
